Charity, Ritual, and Business at the Edge of Empire: The Misericórdia of Macau
Scholarly analyses of the Misericórdias first appeared at the end of the nineteenth century, but it was Charles Boxer who first examined them on a par with the other institutions of local power that he judged to be fundamental in the Portuguese Empire, the Câmaras (municipal councils). Boxer cons...
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| Published in: | Portuguese Colonial Cities in the Early Modern World |
|---|---|
| Format: | Book chapters |
| Published: |
Routledge
2008
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315246369-17/charity-ritual-business-edge-empire-miseric%C3%B3rdia-macau |
| _version_ | 1877196292998823936 |
|---|---|
| container_title | Portuguese Colonial Cities in the Early Modern World |
| container_title_str | Portuguese Colonial Cities in the Early Modern World |
| description | Scholarly analyses of the Misericórdias first appeared at the end of the
nineteenth century, but it was Charles Boxer who first examined them on a par
with the other institutions of local power that he judged to be fundamental in
the Portuguese Empire, the Câmaras (municipal councils). Boxer considered
both institutions to be the keys for understanding the local dynamics of power
and government. As mentioned in the introduction to the present volume,
he drew primarily on printed sources to present a comparative overview of
local institutions in four cities of the Portuguese empire: Macau, Goa, Bahia,
and Luanda. ough his analysis centered on the role played by the Câmaras
in imperial administration, Boxer considered the Misericórdias as their twin.1
More recently, in the 1990s, scholars have analyzed the Misericórdias at the
level of the Portuguese empire. ese examinations stressed the differences
among the confraternities found across the empire, while recognizing their
common religious and administrative principles.2 As should be expected,
local conditions provide much of the explanation for this diversity. Important
factors included the ethnic makeup of the population, the ways in which
the Portuguese related to the indigenous or imported populations, and the
organization of the local economy. Significantly, however, a given area’s
relationship with the metropolis affected the different procedures and social
habits of its local Misericórdia. And as the essay by J.S.A. Elisonas in this
volume reveals, this Portuguese model of charity was not limited by the
bounds of empire and left its mark on forms of confraternal piety in cities
such as Nagasaki and Kyoto. Num Pages: 26 |
| first_indexed | 2026-04-20T10:35:38Z |
| format | Book chapters |
| genre | Book chapters |
| genre_facet | Book chapters |
| id | zotero-9SH2H5GD |
| institution | zotero_group |
| last_indexed | 2026-04-20T10:39:33Z |
| latest_content_date | 2026-04-20T10:39:33Z |
| publishDate | 2008 |
| publishDateRange | 2008 |
| publishDateSort | 2008 |
| publisher | Routledge |
| publisherStr | Routledge |
| record_format | zotero |
| spelling | Charity, Ritual, and Business at the Edge of Empire: The Misericórdia of Macau Scholarly analyses of the Misericórdias first appeared at the end of the nineteenth century, but it was Charles Boxer who first examined them on a par with the other institutions of local power that he judged to be fundamental in the Portuguese Empire, the Câmaras (municipal councils). Boxer considered both institutions to be the keys for understanding the local dynamics of power and government. As mentioned in the introduction to the present volume, he drew primarily on printed sources to present a comparative overview of local institutions in four cities of the Portuguese empire: Macau, Goa, Bahia, and Luanda. ough his analysis centered on the role played by the Câmaras in imperial administration, Boxer considered the Misericórdias as their twin.1 More recently, in the 1990s, scholars have analyzed the Misericórdias at the level of the Portuguese empire. ese examinations stressed the differences among the confraternities found across the empire, while recognizing their common religious and administrative principles.2 As should be expected, local conditions provide much of the explanation for this diversity. Important factors included the ethnic makeup of the population, the ways in which the Portuguese related to the indigenous or imported populations, and the organization of the local economy. Significantly, however, a given area’s relationship with the metropolis affected the different procedures and social habits of its local Misericórdia. And as the essay by J.S.A. Elisonas in this volume reveals, this Portuguese model of charity was not limited by the bounds of empire and left its mark on forms of confraternal piety in cities such as Nagasaki and Kyoto. Num Pages: 26 Routledge Portuguese Colonial Cities in the Early Modern World Book chapters 2008 |
| spellingShingle | Charity, Ritual, and Business at the Edge of Empire: The Misericórdia of Macau |
| title | Charity, Ritual, and Business at the Edge of Empire: The Misericórdia of Macau |
| title_autocomplete | Charity, Ritual, and Business at the Edge of Empire: The Misericórdia of Macau |
| title_full | Charity, Ritual, and Business at the Edge of Empire: The Misericórdia of Macau |
| title_fullStr | Charity, Ritual, and Business at the Edge of Empire: The Misericórdia of Macau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Charity, Ritual, and Business at the Edge of Empire: The Misericórdia of Macau |
| title_short | Charity, Ritual, and Business at the Edge of Empire: The Misericórdia of Macau |
| title_sort | charity, ritual, and business at the edge of empire: the misericórdia of macau |
| url | https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315246369-17/charity-ritual-business-edge-empire-miseric%C3%B3rdia-macau |